The Choice of Intoxicant Among the Chinese.

The choice of alcohol and narcotics and the prevalence pattern of dependence on these substances among the Chinese are found to differ significantly from those in the West. Possible factors responsible for the distinctive pattern in the Chinese are considered. Probably significant are cultural ideology sanctioning acquiescence, moderation, propriety conformity and intellectual control; historical totals leading to easy availability of opiates over a long period; and a high level of social pathology associated with culture change, economic hardship and easy accessibility to drugs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]